Worship Changes on Christmas Eve
Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
I'm so sad to send you this note - please take a careful look at the letter below. Mark and I share this decision, made in consultation with our leadership, with heavy hearts. Please do help us to spread the news as you can so that others, who may not see this email, will also know to come at 9pm. Godwilling, we will celebrate together a little later in the day than we had planned.
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
Friends,
First and foremost, Merry Christmas. Even with storms and bitter cold, we still celebrate the birth of our Messiah, and the goodness, challenge, love and hope Christ brings to the world.
We are writing, however, with some sad and frustrating news. Last night during the storm, a tree fell on some power lines on New Canaan Road. Now, some of those lines are blocking the entry to our drive and parking lot and our churches are without power. Conversations with Eversource tell us that we shouldn’t expect power to be restored and lines to be fully cleared until mid-afternoon at the earliest.
With that news, with no heat or electricity, and with uncertainty about timing, we must cancel the 4 PM Christmas Eve services at both St. Matthew's and Wilton Presbyterian churches.
Our hope is that we will be restored in time for our 9 PM services, and we hope to worship with you then. That said, please check your email prior to driving to campus. Though we very much hope it isn’t the case, there is a possibility that we will need to cancel the 9 PM services as well. If that is the case, we will send an email to you by 8 PM letting you know.
While all of this is regretful news, we are grateful for those working diligently to restore power, for volunteers who help make tough decisions, and for the grace of God which greets us regardless of our location or circumstance. It is a good reminder that when God came into the world, it was amidst many obstacles. Still God found God’s way to the manger and changed our world. Today, may you recognize the unusual way God shows up for you, amidst obstacles and frustrations, leading you to a deeper Christmas joy.
Peace,
The Reverends Mark Montgomery and Marissa Rohrbach
Tags: Welcome from the Rector